Many of our English expressions can mean something entirely different to what they appear to be saying. Some, which may appear quite to be neutral, are sometimes not neutral at all and can even be considered quite aggressive.
Here a list of typical English expressions and what they really mean.
ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS WHICH CAN MEAN SOMETHING ELSE
Being Understated.
Not bad really means very good.
I am a bit disappointed with you means I am very upset with you.
It could be worse is commonly used to mean it’s excellent, fantastic. As in, “I hear you won 50,000 pounds on the lottery!” “Yes – it could be worse!“
Not Seeming Rude
The English believe it is extremely rude to be direct when speaking. We therefore have a number of set phrases which we all understand mean something quite different to what the words actually say. This helps us to be rude without sounding rude and that makes us comfortable. For example:
If you invite an English person out to a pub or to a social event and they* say “I might join you later” they* are actually telling you that they are not coming.
In business meetings you’re going to hear “I hear what you’re saying”. The person is actually saying “I don’t agree with you”.
Make sure you listen out for the phrase “oh by the way” in meetings and discussions. It is NOT an introduction to an unimportant part of the discussion it is often the indication that you are about to get to the main point of the discussion.
Giving Instructions
We really don’t like to tell people what to do. To be more correct, we really do like to tell people what to do but we just don’t like to say the words “do it!”. We will say “I would suggest you…” or “do you mind…?” So much more polite, don’t you think? It means do it though.
When a Londoner asks if you could do something ‘when you get a minute’ make sure you do it immediately otherwise they will become a bit disappointed (annoyed) with you. So if we say “I would suggest you write this report when you get a minute” we are saying “Do this report now!”
When you say something and an English person answers “if you say so”, this does not mean they agree with you or they will do as you say. It means they believe you are talking nonsence.
Do not think an English person saying “I’ll bear that in mind” or “I’ll think about it” has any intention of considering the idea or plan you have just proposed. Not at all, it means I’m going to ignore it completely.
And finally do not think that the person who has just sent you an email signed ‘thanks’ is really thanking you for what you have done. Not always, it could mean they are saying that they are annoyed with you.
Not Being Direct in English
In much of England, we prefer to not be direct or use extreme speech. This can be difficult to understand for non-native speakers. The words can be clear but what we really mean can be something entire,y different.
All I can say is good luck (this does really mean good luck). Leave a comment with your experience of English expressions meaning something different.
Note: *’They’ is not a plural pronoun in this example but is used here as a neutral singular pronoun to replace ‘he or she’. It is now very common in spoken English. Many grammar books avoid this neutral singular use of the pronoun ‘they’ but as it’s now so common it should be understood and used.
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